As a father, of course he’s proud of his son. But what dad wouldn’t be when that son is leading the major leagues in victories and is second in ERA.

Come on, happiest Father’s Day ever, right?

“When I hear those things,” Mark Cole admits, “I often tell him I’m proud of him.”

Here’s the interesting thing, though: I hadn’t actually asked a question about baseball.

Instead, Gerrit Cole’s dad was talking about his son’s habit of checking in with Grandma and Grandpa, of reaching out to a family member who’s ill, of – more than just the best starting pitcher right now in the game – being first and forever something even more meaningful.

Being a Cole.

So, yeah, victories or not, even if Gerrit wasn’t operating at a level that has his pitching coach in Pittsburgh likening him to Clayton Kershaw, Mark Cole would be enjoying this Father’s Day plenty.

It just happens to be a rather extraordinary bonus that Gerrit, the No. 1 overall pick in 2011 draft, is now fulfilling the substantial promise he showed at Orange Lutheran and UCLA, fulfilling it in a way that has people like me digging deeply just to describe it.

The Allegheny Times recently reported that the key to Gerrit’s season is that he has fully “weaponized” his impressive five-pitch collection, “weaponized” being an uncommon characterization for a performance that so far has been equally uncommon.

“I can’t honestly put it into words,” Mark Cole says. “He’s really worked hard for this. He just loves the game dearly. It’s paying off for him, and I’m just thrilled for him.”

And please understand that it was before this season even began that Pirates reliever Jared Hughes talked about Gerrit being a possible Hall of Famer, potentially “one of the greatest to ever play the game.”

Eleven victories and a 1.78 ERA later, Pittsburgh is buzzing with All-Star Game talk and Cy Young Award projections and did someone really just say that, every time Gerrit pitches, “All of us are watching history as it develops” with a guy who won’t turn 25 until September?

Indeed, and that someone was Ray Searage, the Pirates pitching coach who lit up the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week with enough glowing praise that the story probably could have been read with the lights off.

Gerrit has been that good – no, that great – through his first 14 starts and dating to early September, really, the right-hander going 15-2 in his past 19 starts overall.

Right now, you might be wondering if there’s a typo or two in all these numbers, some unintentional fiction mixed in among the facts. Don’t worry if you were unaware that Gerrit Cole was having this much success.

That can happen when a player’s success comes in a place such as Pittsburgh, a city carved up by three rivers, sure, yet somehow, Pirates news tends to flow very slowly to the rest of the country.

In only his second full season, Gerrit recently reached 30 career victories in fewer starts than any Pirates pitcher since the mid-1920s. And when a name like Emil Yde is being tossed around, let’s face it, Searage was right. Something historic is happening.

But here’s another interesting thing: When father and son communicate, the numbers and accomplishments rarely are referenced. Instead, they discuss pretty much anything else and everything else.

“It’s a numbers game, but that’s just the way we raised him,” Mark Cole says. “It’s a team game. He gets that. He knows that. That’s really the person he is.”

Gerrit has become somewhat famous in Pittsburgh for his fire on the field and his ice off it, his insistence on playing it cool by redirecting attention to teammates, to make seven shutout innings about nine players instead of one arm.

When asked before the season about being the team’s ace – by formal definition if not official designation – Gerrit explained that he actually views himself in line behind “our horses,” specifically mentioning A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano and Charlie Morton.

Charlie? Morton? How cool is that, Gerrit deferring to a Pirates veteran, even though Morton, for his career, is 20 games below .500?

That’s just part of the Cole approach, an approach that’s designed to be minus assumption and arrogance. When Gerrit was starring at UCLA, his father, rather than stay in one seat, typically would roam the ballpark and make a habit of trying to blend in.

Some of the other parents gave Mark a nickname: “Waldo.”

In a little more than a week, Detroit is where “Waldo” will be, watching his son as part of the Pirates’ annual fathers trip.

By then, Gerrit could have another victory, maybe two. Still, that won’t be the first thing father and son discuss, if they discuss it at all.

“I think it’s important to not just focus our conversations on baseball,” Mark Cole says. “We love baseball, and we enjoy baseball. But there’s another side of life, and we all have to take care of it, you know?”

We sure do, especially today of all days, a day for dads and all the pride that comes with a position so important.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.